2002 NBA playoffs

2002 NBA playoffs

Tournament details
Dates	April 20–June 12, 2002
Season	2001–02
Teams	16
Final positions
Champions	Los Angeles Lakers (14th title)
Runner-up	New Jersey Nets
Semifinalists	Boston Celtics Sacramento Kings
← 2001 2003 →

The 2002 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This was the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; the 2003 NBA playoffs saw those series expand to a best-of-7 format. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets 4 games to 0 in the 2002 NBA Finals. Shaquille O'Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year.

The 2002 playoffs are best remembered for that year's Western Conference Finals between the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. The matchup between the Lakers and Kings is regarded as one of the most controversial playoff series in NBA history.^[1][2][3] At the time, there was widespread criticism of the officiating as favoring the Lakers, especially in Game 6. Several years later, disgraced referee Tim Donaghy accused the Game 6 officiating crew of fixing the game, at the behest of the NBA's front office.^[4]

The 2002 NBA Playoffs marked the return of the Boston Celtics, who had last made the playoffs in 1995. In addition, the New Jersey Nets returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

This also marked the last appearance of the Charlotte Hornets in the playoffs until 2010. The Hornets moved the next year to New Orleans, while an expansion team, formerly the Bobcats, was formed in 2004. The Hornets were renamed the Pelicans in 2013, after which the Bobcats reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. The Hornets also reclaimed the history and records of the 1988–2002 Charlotte teams.

The New York Knicks missed the playoffs for the first time since 1987, while the Miami Heat missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995. With that, Pat Riley missed the playoffs for the first time in his coaching career. Also the Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs for the first time since 1988.

With their first round series win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics won their first playoff series since 1992.

With their first round series win over the Toronto Raptors, the Detroit Pistons won their first playoff series since 1991.

With their first round series win over the Indiana Pacers, the New Jersey Nets won a playoff series for the first time since 1984.

With similar sweeps on April 28, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers were the final teams to lose in three-game sweep; they fell to the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers respectively.

Game 4 of the Nets–Hornets series was the final playoff game ever played at Charlotte Coliseum.

Game 5 of the Lakers–Spurs series was the last NBA playoff game aired on TBS.

With their conference semifinals victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the New Jersey Nets made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. It also marked the first time the Nets won a best of seven playoff series in franchise history.

With their conference semifinals victory over the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 1988.

In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics created the biggest 4th quarter playoff comeback in Game 3, winning 94–90 after trailing by as much as 21 prior to the fourth quarter. (This record was later broken by the Los Angeles Clippers, who came back from 24 in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012).

With their Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics, the New Jersey Nets made the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, preventing a Celtics–Lakers NBA Finals.

The Lakers’ Game 7 win over the Sacramento Kings marked the first time since 1982 that a road team won a Game 7 in the conference finals.

The 2002 NBA Finals marked the first time since 1995 that a team swept an NBA Finals series.

Game 4 of the NBA Finals was the last telecast on NBC. TBS and NBC were replaced with ESPN and ABC the following season, since both channels are owned by the Walt Disney Company. TBS has aired some NBA basketball in the ensuing years due to conflicts on sister network TNT. The total number of playoff games was 70, including the NBA Finals.

First Round

Conference Semifinals

Conference Finals

NBA Finals

E1

New Jersey*

3

E8

Indiana

2

E1

New Jersey*

4

E4

Charlotte

1

E4

Charlotte

3

E5

Orlando

1

E1

New Jersey*

4

Eastern Conference

E3

Boston

2

E3

Boston

3

E6

Philadelphia

2

E3

Boston

4

E2

Detroit*

1

E2

Detroit*

3

E7

Toronto

2

E1

New Jersey*

0

W3

LA Lakers

4

W1

Sacramento*

3

W8

Utah

1

W1

Sacramento*

4

W4

Dallas

1

W4

Dallas

3

W5

Minnesota

0

W1

Sacramento*

3

Western Conference

W3

LA Lakers

4

W3

LA Lakers

3

W6

Portland

0

W3

LA Lakers

4

W2

San Antonio*

1

W2

San Antonio*

3

W7

Seattle

2

The Sacramento Kings clinched the best record in the NBA and earned home-court advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:

1. Sacramento Kings (61–21, clinched Pacific division)
2. San Antonio Spurs (58–24, clinched Midwest division)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (58–24)
4. Dallas Mavericks (57–25)
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (50–32)
6. Portland Trail Blazers (49–33)
7. Seattle SuperSonics (45–37)
8. Utah Jazz (44–38)

The New Jersey Nets clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference and earned home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:

1. New Jersey Nets (52–30, clinched Atlantic division)
2. Detroit Pistons (50–32, clinched Central division)
3. Boston Celtics (49–33)
4. Charlotte Hornets (44–38, 3–1 head-to-head vs. ORL)
5. Orlando Magic (44–38, 1–3 head-to-head vs. CHA)
6. Philadelphia 76ers (43–39)
7. Toronto Raptors (42–40, 3–1 head-to-head vs. IND)
8. Indiana Pacers (42–40, 1–3 head-to-head vs. TOR)

Although the Nets won the series in 5, it would be most remarkable for more playoff heroics by Reggie Miller; Miller banked in a 40-footer at the buzzer to force OT, and then fly in for a dunk over 3 Net defenders with 3.1 seconds left in the extra session to force the 2nd overtime.^[5]

Regular-season series

New Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series

October 30, 2001 Recap Indiana Pacers 97, New Jersey Nets 103 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey November 13, 2001 Recap New Jersey Nets 91, Indiana Pacers 82 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis December 21, 2001 Recap New Jersey Nets 94, Indiana Pacers 100 Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis December 29, 2001 Recap Indiana Pacers 93, New Jersey Nets 98 (OT) Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey

This was the first NBA playoff meeting between the Pacers and the Nets. As members of the ABA, both teams met in the 1972 ABA Finals, where the Pacers won 4–2.^[6]

This series involved two teams that had exceeded expectations during the season. It was also the first time that professional sports teams from Detroit and Toronto met in a postseason series since the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs met in the 1993 Norris Division Semifinals, but no two teams from the two cities have met in a postseason series since. The Detroit Pistons were coming off a year where they had lost 50 games. The Raptors had lost their star forward, Vince Carter, for the remainder of the season. As a result, the Raptors lost 13 straight games without him. Although they looked down and out of playoff contention, the Raptors went on a surge, winning 12 of their last 14 games, locking up the 7th seed. The home team won each game of the series, with the Pistons winning the decisive Game 5 by 3 points. Raptors' Guard, Chris Childs, attempted to draw a foul on a three-point shot, instead of passing it to an open Dell Curry. In the post game interview, Childs stated that he thought the team was down by four points, not three. Detroit advanced to face the Boston Celtics in the second round. Meanwhile, Toronto, with a 39 year old Hakeem Olajuwon playing his final game, was on the couch.

Game 5 is Hakeem Olajuwon's final NBA game.

Regular-season series

Detroit won 3–1 in the regular-season series

November 20, 2001 Recap Detroit Pistons 88, Toronto Raptors 84 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario January 15, 2002 Recap Toronto Raptors 92, Detroit Pistons 90 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan February 18, 2002 Recap Toronto Raptors 76, Detroit Pistons 89 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan February 22, 2002 Recap Detroit Pistons 80, Toronto Raptors 72 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Raptors.^[7]

This series marked the return of the Celtics to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and they faced the reigning Eastern Conference champion in the first round. The first two games were played in Boston, where the Celtics won both games resoundingly. The 76ers fought back, however, and with Allen Iverson scoring 42 points the 76ers won Game 3 and stayed alive. In Game 4, Iverson was slowed down, scoring 26 points on just 9-of-26 shooting, and Antoine Walker stepped up for the Celtics, scoring 25. But Iverson's play at the end making a layup, scoring off an Eric Snow steal, and hitting some free throws after Walker drilled a three sealed the victory for the 76ers. This set the stage for a Game 5 in Boston to decide the series. The Celtics had control on this game throughout, but the 76ers kept within striking distance into the 4th quarter. But Boston went on an amazing streak of three-pointers, hitting an NBA playoff record nine of them in the 4th quarter and 19 in the game. Paul Pierce led the way with 46, on 8-10 shooting from downtown, and Boston won in a huge blowout, sending them to the conference semifinals to face second-seed Detroit.

Regular-season series

Philadelphia won 3–1 in the regular-season series
December 17, 2001 Recap Boston Celtics 83, Philadelphia 76ers 99 First Union Center, Philadelphia January 25, 2002 Recap Philadelphia 76ers 106, Boston Celtics 90 FleetCenter, Boston March 4, 2002 Recap Boston Celtics 100, Philadelphia 76ers 94 First Union Center, Philadelphia March 22, 2002 Recap Philadelphia 76ers 96, Boston Celtics 91 FleetCenter, Boston

This was the 19th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning 10 of the first 18 meetings.

Previous playoff series^[8]

Boston leads 10–8 in all-time playoff series

1953 Boston Celtics 2, Syracuse Nationals 0 1953 Eastern Division Semifinals 1954 Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Round Robin Semifinals 1954 Boston Celtics 0, Syracuse Nationals 2 1954 Eastern Division Finals 1955 Boston Celtics 1, Syracuse Nationals 3 1955 Eastern Division Finals 1956 Boston Celtics 1, Syracuse Nationals 2 1956 Eastern Division Semifinals 1957 Boston Celtics 3, Syracuse Nationals 0 1957 Eastern Division Finals 1959 Boston Celtics 4, Syracuse Nationals 3 1959 Eastern Division Finals 1961 Boston Celtics 4, Syracuse Nationals 1 1961 Eastern Division Finals 1965 Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 3 1965 Eastern Division Finals 1966 Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 1966 Eastern Division Finals 1967 Boston Celtics 1, Philadelphia 76ers 4 1967 Eastern Division Finals 1968 Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 3 1968 Eastern Division Finals 1969 Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 1969 Eastern Division Semifinals 1977 Boston Celtics 3, Philadelphia 76ers 4 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals 1980 Boston Celtics 1, Philadelphia 76ers 4 1980 Eastern Conference Finals 1981 Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 3 1981 Eastern Conference Finals 1982 Boston Celtics 3, Philadelphia 76ers 4 1982 Eastern Conference Finals 1985 Boston Celtics 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 1985 Eastern Conference Finals

Game 4 is Patrick Ewing's final NBA game.

Regular-season series

Charlotte won 3–1 in the regular-season series

November 23, 2001 Recap Orlando Magic 109, Charlotte Hornets 99 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina November 24, 2001 Recap Charlotte Hornets 103, Orlando Magic 101 TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida March 22, 2002 Recap Charlotte Hornets 106, Orlando Magic 92 TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida March 27, 2002 Recap Orlando Magic 104, Charlotte Hornets 111 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

This was the first playoff meeting between the Magic and the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats franchise.^[9]

Regular-season series

Sacramento won 4–0 in the regular-season series
January 24, 2002 Recap Utah Jazz 80, Sacramento Kings 113 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California January 26, 2002 Recap Sacramento Kings 114, Utah Jazz 90 Delta Center, Salt Lake City February 26, 2002 Recap Utah Jazz 81, Sacramento Kings 107 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California April 5, 2002 Recap Sacramento Kings 117, Utah Jazz 109 Delta Center, Salt Lake City

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Jazz winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series^[10]

Utah leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1999 Sacramento Kings 2, Utah Jazz 3 1999 Western Conference First Round

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
November 1, 2001 Recap San Antonio Spurs 108, Seattle SuperSonics 114 KeyArena, Seattle November 21, 2001 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 93, San Antonio Spurs 110 Alamodome, San Antonio March 29, 2002 Recap San Antonio Spurs 76, Seattle SuperSonics 79 KeyArena, Seattle April 3, 2002 Recap Seattle SuperSonics 88, San Antonio Spurs 90 Alamodome, San Antonio

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first meeting.

Previous playoff series^[11]

San Antonio leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series
1982 San Antonio Spurs 4, Seattle SuperSonics 1 1982 Western Conference Semifinals

The Lakers sweep the Blazers thanks to a series-winning 3 by Robert Horry with 2.1 seconds left in Game 3.

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

October 30, 2001 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 87, Los Angeles Lakers 98 Staples Center, Los Angeles February 17, 2002 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 105, Portland Trail Blazers 111 Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon March 29, 2002 Recap Portland Trail Blazers 79, Los Angeles Lakers 91 Staples Center, Los Angeles April 14, 2002 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 120, Portland Trail Blazers 128 (2OT) Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon

This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first ten meetings.

Previous playoff series^[12]

Los Angeles leads 8–2 in all-time playoff series

1977 Los Angeles Lakers 0, Portland Trail Blazers 4 1977 Western Conference Finals 1983 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1983 Western Conference Semifinals 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1985 Western Conference Semifinals 1989 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 0 1989 Western Conference First Round 1991 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 2 1991 Western Conference Finals 1992 Los Angeles Lakers 1, Portland Trail Blazers 3 1992 Western Conference First Round 1997 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1997 Western Conference First Round 1998 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 1 1998 Western Conference First Round 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Portland Trail Blazers 3 2000 Western Conference Finals 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Portland Trail Blazers 0 2001 Western Conference First Round

Dirk Nowitzki was virtually unstoppable in this series, averaging 33 points and 16 rebounds per game.^[13]

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series

December 15, 2001 Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 117, Dallas Mavericks 125 American Airlines Center, Dallas December 18, 2001 Recap Dallas Mavericks 107, Minnesota Timberwolves 103 Target Center, Minneapolis February 19, 2002 Recap Minnesota Timberwolves 117, Dallas Mavericks 100 American Airlines Center, Dallas March 28, 2002 Recap Dallas Mavericks 111, Minnesota Timberwolves 113 Target Center, Minneapolis

This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Timberwolves.^[14]

• Game 4 would not only be the last game played at Charlotte Coliseum until 2004 when the Charlotte Bobcats were an expansion team (the Bobcats would make the first of their two only playoff appearances in 2010), but the last playoff game ever played at the arena. Game 5 would also be the Hornets' last playoff game before moving to New Orleans and then being renewed in 2014. They would make the playoffs again in 2016.

Regular-season series

New Jersey won 3–1 in the regular-season series

November 3, 2001 Recap Charlotte Hornets 85, New Jersey Nets 95 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey January 5, 2002 Recap New Jersey Nets 89, Charlotte Hornets 80 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina February 24, 2002 Recap Charlotte Hornets 93, New Jersey Nets 95 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey February 27, 2002 Recap New Jersey Nets 85, Charlotte Hornets 104 Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina

This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Hornets.^[15]

Regular-season series

Tied 2–2 in the regular-season series
January 11, 2002 Recap Detroit Pistons 90, Boston Celtics 104 FleetCenter, Boston January 19, 2002 Recap Boston Celtics 91, Detroit Pistons 94 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan March 8, 2002 Recap Detroit Pistons 92, Boston Celtics 117 FleetCenter, Boston March 24, 2002 Recap Boston Celtics 101, Detroit Pistons 109 The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan

This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece.

Previous playoff series^[16]

Tied 3–3 in all-time playoff series

1968 Boston Celtics 4, Detroit Pistons 2 1968 Eastern Division Semifinals 1985 Boston Celtics 4, Detroit Pistons 2 1985 Eastern Conference Semifinals 1987 Boston Celtics 4, Detroit Pistons 3 1987 Eastern Conference Finals 1988 Boston Celtics 2, Detroit Pistons 4 1988 Eastern Conference Finals 1989 Boston Celtics 0, Detroit Pistons 3 1989 Eastern Conference First Round 1991 Boston Celtics 2, Detroit Pistons 4 1991 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Regular-season series

Dallas won 3–1 in the regular-season series

November 29, 2001 Recap Sacramento Kings 110, Dallas Mavericks 98 American Airlines Center, Dallas December 2, 2001 Recap Dallas Mavericks 120, Sacramento Kings 114 (OT) ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California February 23, 2002 Recap Sacramento Kings 97, Dallas Mavericks 111 American Airlines Center, Dallas April 14, 2002 Recap Dallas Mavericks 113, Sacramento Kings 100 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California

This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Kings.^[17]

The Spurs led going into the fourth quarter of four out of the five games, yet were able to win only one. Bryant would pace Los Angeles to 2 crucial victories in the Alamodome with 31 points in Game 3 and a game-winning bucket in Game 4,^[18] and would offset the steady production of Tim Duncan (who had a double double in every game including 34 points and 25 rebounds in Game 5) with his fourth quarter heroics. It would be San Antonio's final 2 home games in the Alamodome, as they would move into the SBC Center (now the AT&T Center) the following year.

Regular-season series

Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series
January 19, 2002 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 98, San Antonio Spurs 81 Alamodome, San Antonio January 25, 2002 Recap San Antonio Spurs 91, Los Angeles Lakers 94 Staples Center, Los Angeles March 20, 2002 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 90, San Antonio Spurs 108 Alamodome, San Antonio March 31, 2002 Recap San Antonio Spurs 95, Los Angeles Lakers 96 Staples Center, Los Angeles

This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning five of the first seven meetings.

Previous playoff series^[19]

Los Angeles leads 5–2 in all-time playoff series

1982 Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 0 1982 Western Conference Finals 1983 Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 2 1983 Western Conference Finals 1986 Los Angeles Lakers 3, San Antonio Spurs 0 1986 Western Conference First Round 1988 Los Angeles Lakers 3, San Antonio Spurs 0 1988 Western Conference First Round 1995 Los Angeles Lakers 2, San Antonio Spurs 4 1995 Western Conference Semifinals 1999 Los Angeles Lakers 0, San Antonio Spurs 4 1999 Western Conference Semifinals 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4, San Antonio Spurs 0 2001 Western Conference Finals

The Nets won game one, but Boston came back to steal game two in New Jersey to send the series back to Boston tied 1-1. In Game 3, the Celtics were down by as much as 26 points (21 coming into the 4th quarter), but they accomplished the biggest comeback in NBA Playoff history as the Celtics outscored the Nets 41–16 in the fourth quarter. The Celtics almost completed another comeback in game four, but the Nets held on for the victory to tie the series at two games apiece. The Nets won games five and six to advance to the team's first of two consecutive NBA Finals.

Regular-season series

Boston won 3–1 in the regular-season series
October 31, 2001 Recap New Jersey Nets 95, Boston Celtics 92 FleetCenter, Boston December 1, 2001 Recap Boston Celtics 105, New Jersey Nets 98 (OT) Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey March 13, 2002 Recap New Jersey Nets 89, Boston Celtics 97 FleetCenter, Boston April 7, 2002 Recap Boston Celtics 102, New Jersey Nets 90 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey

This was the first playoff meeting between the Celtics and the Nets.^[20]

The 2002 Western Conference finals is widely regarded as one of the best series in NBA playoff history,^{[by whom?]} with the last four games coming down to the final seconds. Two games were decided on game winning shots and Game 7 was decided in overtime. However, the series was marred by controversy and allegations of corruption. On June 10, 2008, convicted NBA referee Tim Donaghy's attorney filed a court document alleging that Game 6 was fixed by two referees. The letter states that Donaghy "learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew Referees A and F to be 'company men', always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series." The Lakers won Game 6 106–102, attempting 18 more free throws than the Kings in the fourth quarter, and went on to win the series, and eventually the NBA championship. The document claimed that Donaghy told federal agents that in order to increase television ratings and ticket sales, "top executives of the NBA sought to manipulate games using referees". It also said that NBA officials would tell referees to not call technical fouls on certain players, and states that a referee was privately reprimanded by the league for ejecting a star player in the first quarter of a January 2000 game. Stern denied the accusations, calling Donaghy a "singing, cooperating witness".

The Lakers and Kings split the first two games in Sacramento. Los Angeles raced out to a 36-point first quarter in Game 1 behind 67% shooting and never trailed, paced by Kobe Bryant's 30 point effort and 26 points from Shaquille O'Neal. Chris Webber had 28 points and 14 rebounds, but the other Kings combined shot under 40 percent.^[21] Sacramento rebounded to win Game 2, paced behind Webber (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Mike Bibby (20 points). O'Neal had 35 points and 13 rebounds, but struggled with foul trouble; Bryant shot 9-for-21 from the field and was suffering from food poisoning which he contracted from a meal at the team hotel, and some felt it was done deliberately by the hotel staff.^[22] The loss snapped the NBA record 12-game playoff road winning streak for the Lakers.^[23]

The Kings went to Staples Center and dominated Game 3 to regain home-court advantage, leading by as many as 27 and never trailing. They were again paced by Webber and Bibby, who combined for 50 points, and got solid contributions from Doug Christie (17 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Vlade Divac (11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks). Other than a brief 3-point barrage in the 4th quarter by the Lakers to cut the lead to 12, there was not much help provided for O'Neal, who had 20 points and 19 rebounds.^[24]

In Game 4, Sacramento again got out to a fast start with a 40-point first quarter and built a 24-point first half lead. However, the Lakers cut the lead to 14 at halftime with a Samaki Walker 3-pointer at the buzzer that should not have counted (replay was not used at the time), and to 7 after three quarters. They whittled it down to 2 on the final possession with a chance to tie or win it, but Bryant missed a running layup and Shaq missed a put-back attempt. Divac knocked the ball away from the hoop in an attempt to run out the clock, but instead it wound up going to a wide open Robert Horry behind the 3 point line, who hit the 3 over Webber at the buzzer to give the Lakers an improbable victory, which tied the series going back to Sacramento. Horry scored 11 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter, including two more crucial 3-pointers. O'Neal finished with 27 points and 18 rebounds, Bryant had 25. Divac, Webber and Bibby all finished with 20+ points for the Kings.^[25]

As the series shifted back to Sacramento for Game 5, the Kings trailed almost the entire fourth quarter, but a jump shot by Bibby off a screen with 8.2 seconds left gave them the lead and was the game-winner in a 92–91 win. Bibby scored 23 in all, and Webber had 29 points and 13 rebounds in support. Bryant led Los Angeles with 30 points, but missed a potential game winner at the buzzer.^[26] O'Neal had 28 points, but did not take a shot in the 4th quarter and fouled out.^[27]

Game 6 is considered to be one of the most controversial games in not just NBA history, but arguably all of North American professional sports history,^{[citation needed]} as numerous questionable calls went against the Kings in the fourth quarter. The Lakers, led by O'Neal's 41 points and 17 rebounds, won 106–102, setting the stage for Game 7 in Sacramento. There are allegations that the game was affected by the referees in relationship to the Tim Donaghy scandal.^[28] The Lakers shot 40 free throws overall, 27 in the fourth quarter alone, and the Kings' big men were plagued with foul trouble (Divac, Webber, Scot Pollard, and Lawrence Funderburke were called for 20 fouls, with Divac and Pollard both fouling out). Webber nearly had a triple double (26 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists), Bibby scored 23, and Divac had 12 points and 12 rebounds.^[29] The Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon responded to the calls in Game 6: "I wrote down in my notebook six calls that were stunningly incorrect, all against Sacramento, all in the fourth quarter when the Lakers made five baskets and 21 foul shots to hold on to their championship." For example, Wilbon pointed out that Kobe Bryant did not get a foul called on him after elbowing Mike Bibby in front of an official.^[30]

Game 7 was tense, featuring 16 ties and 19 lead changes. In the final ten seconds with Los Angeles up 99–98, Peja Stojaković air-balled a wide open 3, and O'Neal was fouled on the rebound. After O'Neal hit 1 of 2 free throws, Bibby was fouled by Bryant and made both free throws to force overtime. The Kings' offense stalled in the extra period, and the Lakers prevailed 112–106. Sacramento was undone by poor free throw shooting (16–30 from the line), a horrid 2–20 from behind the arc, and a seeming unwillingness for anyone other than Bibby to take crucial shots down the stretch. O'Neal scored 35 and Bryant added 30 in the victory, as all five Lakers starters finished in double figures. Bibby finished with 29 points, and Webber finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Divac added 15 points and 10 rebounds.^[31]

This would be the last Western Conference finals to be decided in seven games until 2016.

Announcers: for NBC, Mike Breen announced Game 1, Marv Albert Games 3–7; Bill Walton & Steve Jones joined them as the analysts. TNT had Kevin Harlan, Danny Ainge, & John Thompson on hand for Game 2.

Regular-season series

Los Angeles won 3–1 in the regular-season series
November 18, 2001 Recap Sacramento Kings 85, Los Angeles Lakers 93 Staples Center, Los Angeles December 7, 2001 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 91, Sacramento Kings 97 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California March 24, 2002 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 97, Sacramento Kings 96 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California April 17, 2002 Recap Sacramento Kings 95, Los Angeles Lakers 109 Staples Center, Los Angeles

This was the tenth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning eight of the first nine meetings.

Previous playoff series^[32]

Los Angeles leads 8–1 in all-time playoff series

1949 Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 0 1949 Western Division Finals 1951 Minneapolis Lakers 1, Rochester Royals 3 1951 Western Division Finals 1952 Minneapolis Lakers 3, Rochester Royals 1 1952 Western Division Finals 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 1, Rochester Royals 0 1954 Western Division Round Robin Semifinals 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 1 1954 Western Division Finals 1955 Minneapolis Lakers 2, Rochester Royals 1 1955 Western Division Semifinals 1984 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Kansas City Kings 0 1984 Western Conference First Round 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 3, Sacramento Kings 2 2000 Western Conference First Round 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Sacramento Kings 0 2001 Western Conference Semifinals

In Game 1, the Nets stayed within striking distance, but Shaquille O'Neal's 36 points and 16 rebounds led the Lakers to victory. In Game 2, the Nets were blown out by 23, with O'Neal leading the way again, putting up 40 points and 12 rebounds and coming within 2 assists of a triple double. This brought the series to New Jersey with the Lakers up 2–0. Game 3 was a close matchup with Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant all scoring 26 or more points. Bryant and O'Neal's combined 71 points was too much for the Nets to handle though, and the Lakers took a 3–0 series lead. In Game 4, O'Neal put up 34 points and the Lakers won the game and the championship, accomplishing the NBA's second three-peat in seven years. Game 4 is Mitch Richmond's final NBA game. Game 4 was also the last NBA game to be televised on NBC.

Regular-season series

Tied 1–1 in the regular-season series
March 5, 2002 Recap New Jersey Nets 92, Los Angeles Lakers 101 Staples Center, Los Angeles April 2, 2002 Recap Los Angeles Lakers 92, New Jersey Nets 94 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey

This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Lakers.^[33]

Category	Game High			Average
	Player	Team	High	Player	Team	Avg.	GP
Points	Paul Pierce	Boston Celtics	46	Tracy McGrady	Orlando Magic	30.8	4
Rebounds	Tim Duncan	San Antonio Spurs	25	Kevin Garnett	Minnesota Timberwolves	18.7	3
Assists	Steve Nash	Dallas Mavericks	15	John Stockton	Utah Jazz	10.0	4
Steals	Baron Davis	Charlotte Hornets	7	Baron Davis	Charlotte Hornets	3.6	9
Blocks	Tim Duncan	San Antonio Spurs	7	Tim Duncan	San Antonio Spurs	4.3	9

• NBA records

• NBA.com's 2002 Playoffs coverage